Dancing With Demons

by Trudi Jaye

  I’m sitting on the sofa, and Blade is sitting on a chair at the side. Both of us are too tired to stand up. My magic stick is laying across the coffee table in front me, glowing gently.

  “I should’ve left him to be swallowed by the lava,” says Blade.

  “Why did you save him?” I ask. At first, I’d thought it was because we needed him to save Nelson, but they’d already done that. Why on earth did Blade decide to be so generous?

  “I decided that he needs to pay for what he did. Kidnapping Nelson, threatening, blackmailing and kidnapping you. Dying in the lava seemed like the easy way out.” Blade gives a low growl that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. He’s just as upset as I am. “Now I wish I’d listened to my original instincts.”

  “We should’ve tied him up,” I say fiercely. “Or taken him with us.”

  “Neither of us were in any state to carry a third person out of that place,” says Blade.

  The Director nods in agreement. “The backup agents were there within ten minutes. It’s just bad luck he escaped. Don’t worry, we’ll find him again.”

  “What about the tracker he implanted on me?” The only reason I was okay about the tracker is because I thought Connor was in custody. Now he can find me any time he likes.

  “We’ll arrange for that to be removed as soon as possible. In the meantime…” The Director pulls a small device out of his pocket. “This is a scrambler. It should deflect anyone attempting to locate you via the tracking device he implanted.”

  I take the small rectangular device, looking down at it dubiously. “How does it work?”

  “I have no idea. You’ll have to ask the tech people. They promised me it would be sufficient.”

  “So what now?” I ask, trying to ignore the creepy-crawlies running over my skin at the thought of Connor being able to find me whenever he wants.

  “You’ve cleared up why there was such a concentration of demon energy,” says the Director. “For now, the levels have gone back to normal. I’ll do what I can with regard to your Ravenwood issue. You’ll have to give me time to get that one ironed out. While you’re waiting, you’ll have to lay low. But once it’s sorted again, you’ll be free to go back to your usual SIG agent duties.”

  “How long will it take before I can start back again?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ll have to put feelers out, find out who’s involved. If I have my way, you will be exonerated for everything on your record, including the charges for resisting arrest and escaping a police station.”

  “That makes me sound a whole lot cooler than I actually am.”

  “Did you really resist arrest?” Blade asks with an amused expression.

  “Not entirely on purpose. My little demon decided to help defend my honor.”

  “I’ll take Hazel to one of my safe houses while we wait for you to work your connections,” says Blade to the Director.

  I nod my agreement, not entirely satisfied, but unable to fight the Director on how long it’s going to take. At least he’s willing to try.

  “In the meantime, I’m pleased with the way everything worked out. It was a job well done, as far as I’m concerned.” The Director rubs his hands together like an uncle at a Christmas dinner.

  “You do understand we almost died, right?”

  “But you didn’t. You’re an innovator, Hazel. You’re too smart to die.”

  “Connor kidnapped me. He had Nelson. There were lots of demons. Really big ones.” My voice goes a little squeaky at the end. I’m trying not to be offended by the casual way he’s accepting what happened.

  The Director nods, smiling down at me. “You did well. I’m very pleased.”

  I glance over at Blade. “Is this usually what you get from the SIG when you almost die?”

  Blade shrugs. “He’s actually being extremely effusive. I usually just get a slap on the back.”

  The Director clears his throat. “They found research documents and your testing equipment at the smelter. Seems Connor was the one who stole from your lab.”

  I glance at Blade, who’d always suspected as much, and then back at the Director. “I guess I should have known. It makes sense if he was trying to make sure I felt indebted to him.”

  “There’s some extremely valuable information in the documentation. Our researchers are going to go over the material to see if we can use any of it.”

  I narrow my eyes at the Director, suddenly suspicious. “Are you planning to give the research back to the Professor?”

  “It’s sensitive information. We’ll take it back to SIG headquarters. You may come to our offices in New York and study the notes any time you like.”

  I shift uneasily in my seat. “What about Professor Hasselblatt? He’ll lose his lab.”

  “No, no, we’ll see to that. He has his uses. We’ll ensure his research continues. Although he has no idea of what really goes on, you realize? He’s probably a quarter or an eighth supernatural, which is why he feels it sometimes. But he’ll never be able to do research he dreams of.”

  “Because he can’t see them?”

  “Exactly. You on the other hand can see everything. You’re a full super with powerful skills that we are proud to have in our stable.” The Director glances down at my glowing stick. “You say that you’re storing your demon energy in the stick?”

  “Yes. It’s better than being stabbed with Blade’s knife every time.”

  “And it came from one of those cages at the smelter?”

  I nod. “Did you confiscate the cages?”

  “We did. We’d like to explore using them to store the demon energy, as you are apparently able to do with your stick.”

  A thought occurs to me. “What do you do with all the demon energy that Blade collects?”

  “We store it at SIG headquarters. But our storage is of a limited capacity.”

  My eyes bug out. “You store it? How? So you’ve got years and years of demon energy sitting around somewhere? Isn’t that dangerous?”

  The Director nods grimly. “It’s dangerous, but it’s better than having it sitting out in the world. And you forget, Hazel, that despite what you seem to think, there aren’t that many demons around—at least the ones that like to cause trouble. Blade hasn’t brought in that many demons over the years.”

  I shake my head, unable to believe what he’s saying. “I want to come and see the facility.”

  The Director nods and smiles. “Absolutely. Now that you’re in charge of Demon Rehabilitation, you’ll be expected to monitor it.”

  “I’m what?” I look up, startled.

  “In charge of Demon Rehabilitation. That’s your new title at the SIG. You’ll be working with Blade to ensure that the demon population remains stable and inactive across the United States.”

  I open and close my mouth a few times. I don’t know what to say. “Do I get a big raise?” Okay, so I have an idea what I should say.

  The Director looks around. “Enough that you could afford a better apartment.”

  “I like my apartment,” I say, stung. I’d never leave Nelson, not after what he’s been through because of me.

  “You’ll have enough money to buy the building in a few years, then,” he amends.

  “I could put in an elevator,” I say, glancing over at Blade. Nelson would have gotten the joke if he’d been here.

  “I have to be off. I have a flight to catch. You two seem to have everything under control. I’ll let you know when I need anything. Otherwise, just keep an eye out for demons.”

  He gives me a casual salute and is then out the door almost before I realize he’s leaving.

  “He’s different to Damien, isn’t he?” I lean back into the padded cushions.

  Blade eyes me warily. Now that the Director has gone, he knows I’m going to expect a conversation from him. We haven’t had a moment alone since we escaped the smelter. “He’s typical of a SIG agent.”

  I nod and watch him out of the corner of my eye. I
let the silence linger, watching him start to twitch. He won’t bring it up himself, I know that much.

  When he pulls himself out of his chair and starts prowling the living room, I decide it’s time to take the bull by the horns. Or the cat by the whiskers as the case may be. I take a breath. “That kiss meant something to me.” It feels like I’m leaping out of a plane without a parachute.

  He whips around, his eyes blazing into mine. “What did you say?”

  My heart thumping, I force myself to look directly at him. “Just in case you thought it was a nice little ‘thank you’ kiss. I want you to know that I want more than that, more than just a kiss every now and again.”

  He shakes his head, but I hold up a hand.

  “I asked for the SIG agent rule book. There’s nothing in there about agents not being able to date.”

  “You looked it up?” He looks flabbergasted.

  “I want more than friendship from you, Blade. Can we at least try?”

  He comes to stand in front of me, his eyes dark with emotion. “I want a relationship, more than anything. But I can’t.”

  It feels like my heart has been ripped out. “Why not?”

  “It’s about more than you and me. If it was just you and me, and the SIG was the only problem, I’d give it a try. But it’s not. There’s more to it.”

  “Tell me. Help me understand, at least.”

  Blade paces back and forth across the room. “A job like mine, I have to keep myself apart. I can’t let myself get too close to anyone. Otherwise it becomes leverage that can be used against me. You getting kidnapped proves that to me.”

  “My getting kidnapped had nothing to do with you,” I say. “It was about me. If you hadn’t been there to come get me who knows what would have happened.”

  “I have enemies who would use you against me.”

  “Just think, if we were in a relationship, you’d be able to protect me twenty-four seven. As it stands, you’re going to have to go back home sometime soon. And I get into trouble all the time, you know that.”

  His eyes darken into the color of a forest at midnight, and he takes a step toward me. I stand up, willing to help him out.

  “I wouldn’t want you getting into trouble,” he murmurs softly, moving closer.

  “Absolutely not,” I say, as he reaches for me.

  45

  Blade turns down a long driveway and presses a button on the windshield visor. The large metal gates in front of us open ponderously, revealing a tree-lined drive. I can’t help being a little impressed.

  “This is where you live?” I ask. I clutch my small bag of gear to my side, suddenly conscious of my tiny apartment.

  “Not really. It’s just a safe house, somewhere I can hole up if it gets too much.”

  “I don’t even know where you usually live.”

  “I have an apartment in the city.”

  “You don’t mind staying out here with me?” I don’t say the words with anything in mind, but Blade glances over at me and his eyes are filled with so many unspoken words that I have to take a breath.

  “No, I don’t mind,” he says softly. He looks back to the road. “Will you mind staying out here with me? You won’t disappear on me again?”

  I feel a little like I’m breaking into small pieces, he sounds so hurt. “Of course I won’t. I told you, I know I should have talked it over with you. I’m just so used to doing things on my own, it’s hard for me.”

  “You haven’t had anyone else to rely on in a while?”

  “No. I have no family. Very few friends. I’ve had to take care of myself.”

  “You’ve got me now,” says Blade. “And Nelson.”

  I smile, thinking of the trophy Nelson brought over to show me this morning before we left. He won best project with his recycled statue. “You’re sure he and his Mom are going to be okay while we’re not there?”

  “I talked to Mr. Fookes, told him what happened. He’s going to keep an eye on them. He’s very protective of you as well.”

  “How strong is a genie? Will he be able to take on Connor?”

  “Now that he knows, he’ll keep a close watch on Nelson. Connor won’t be able to get past him.”

  “Maybe we should just go—”

  “Mr. Fookes is a powerful supernatural. He’s perfectly capable of sorting out Connor. You need to stay under the radar until the situation is sorted out with the authorities. Or do you want to go back to the police station? To Ravenwood?”

  “No,” I say, twisting my fingers in my lap.

  “Then let me take care of you,” he says softly. “Just this once.”

  I reach across and grab his hand, holding on tightly. We drive in silence down the drive, and then Blade parks in an extremely large garage. He grabs his bag, and another bag of mine out of the trunk, and we walk into the house. I take my smaller bag and grab the magic stick from the back seat. I’m not completely paying full attention as I go in. I’m wondering about the magic stick and when I’m going to be able to test it next.

  Blade turns on the lights, and a large dining and kitchen area is lit up with floor-to-ceiling windows outside and over a cliff-top garden. There’s a pool and a hot tub, and in the distance the sea.

  I stop in the middle of the room, stunned by the opulence. “I can’t believe you’ve been sleeping on my couch,” I say.

  He comes up to me and sneaks his arms around my waist. “I’m not worried about sleeping on your couch. I was fine.”

  I return the hug and lay my head on his shoulder. “What are we going to do? How are we going to catch Connor?” I pull back and look up at him. “And how am I going to find out more about who and what I am?”

  Blade runs one hand up and down my back in a soothing gesture. “Tonight, we’re going to relax. And then tomorrow, we’re going to start planning what we’re going to do.”

  “We should visit Baz at the compound.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “And maybe visit that town they said the other chalices were from.”

  “Definitely.”

  “And—”

  But Blade has finally become too impatient. He leans down and puts his lips to mine, effectively making me forget about any plans I might have been making.

  ***

  Thank you so much for reading Dancing With Demons!

  Who are Hazel’s parents? How is she going to figure out her powers and battle the demons? Will the Director really be able to sort out her Ravenwood problem?

  Find out the answers in the next book - due out September, 2020.

  To be notified when the next book in the Demon Hunter in Hiding series is due out, join my mailing list by clicking this link.

  Hi, my name’s Trudi Jaye and I’m the author of Dancing with Demons.

  If you’re keen to read more from me, join my Readers Group to receive free books and short stories, as well as receive updates on my latest books.

  Join Trudi Jaye’s Reader Group today!

  Other Books by Trudi Jaye

  Dragon Rising Series

  Hidden Dragon

  Searching Dragon

  Fighting Dragon

  Cursed Dragon

  Elemental Witch Series

  The Trouble with Magic

  The Problem with Witches

  The Danger with Demons

  Demon Hunter in Hiding Series

  Stalked by Demons

  Dancing with Demons

  Firecaller Series

  Fire Mage

  Royal Mage (due out soon)

  Dark Carnival Series

  Ringmaster

  The Gift

  Tilly’s Secret (Free for people who join my mailing list)

  High Flyer

  Hidden Magic

  Shadow Prophecy

  Hi! I’m Trudi Jaye. I’m from New Zealand, where I currently live on a beautiful rural property surrounded by horses and cows (not mine!) with my lovely husband and my cheeky nine-year-old daughter.

  I’v
e been writing since I was a kid, and for many years I worked as a magazine writer and editor, on topics ranging from hardware and electronics to holidays, recipes and university-level research projects.

  Now I write novels full time.

  I enjoy yoga, although I’m not very bendy, and karate, although I don’t like the idea of hitting anyone.